Fixing the Trains: Impression Management as Transport Policy

Programmes to revive Sydney’s ailing rail network in the face of competition from road transport, which began in the 1990s, were not confined to modernising its rolling stock and infrastructure. They also embraced the organisational structures, micro-practices and documentation in which rail transport were embedded. These reforms were long overdue and had become especially dire after decades of neglect. They were a result of policy makers and governments generally favouring road over rail and which Sydney’s urban development compounded. The resultant urban sprawl produced a traffic-gridlocked city and outer suburbs with a dearth of public services, including transport ones. It led to a divided city, a rich inner Sydney and a poor outer one in terms of access to services. Righting this long-standing problem has become a matter of priority and urgencyone that will take decades to implement. In the meantime, CityRail and its successor, Sydney Trains, have been engaged in a process called “Fixing the trains”, which is in large measure focused on impression management, on improving the look, feel and sound of the transporting experience in Sydney. It is argued that the development is modelled on fast food philosophy.

Keywords: Calculation, gauge muddle, impression management, McDonaldization, neo-liberalism, responsibilisation, Sydney Trains.